Film Review — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
★★★★☆ Black Panther lives in a supercharged tribute fit for a king
In the wake of the passing of King T’Challa, the mourning leaders of Wakanda must protect their people, as well as the wider world, when a previously unknown kingdom resurfaces.
A cornerstone of the modern superhero genre, Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther was beloved by millions, a hero whose absence from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe was unthinkable. His untimely passing from colon cancer in 2020 sent shockwaves through much of the world; how could the MCU, as successful as it is, possibly keep going without one of its brightest stars?
Wakanda Forever, Ryan Coogler’s long-awaited follow-up, answers that difficult question with grace and aplomb. The memory of T’Challa lingers throughout this soulful but still action-packed sequel; the tragic loss of Boseman beautifully worked into a powerful portrayal of grief and succession.
The film’s superb ensemble, headlined by stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Angela Bassett — whose performance absolutely merits her Academy Award nomination — expertly guide us through the difficult mourning process, a violent cauldron of emotion culminating in a wave of cathartic release. If you weren’t in tears during the film’s devastating first moments, its ending will surely not fail to floor you.
And yet it still delivers as a superhero movie. Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole build the movie upon a safe but stable three-act structure, introducing an intriguing new addition to the universe, including an antagonist that, much like Killmonger before him, will hopefully be remembered as one of the MCU’s top-tier baddies. Not that “baddie” is really the appropriate word here.
There are some weaker aspects. The B-plot involving Martin Freeman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus is completely superfluous, Ironheart’s design is a bit crap, and its climatic battle feels a little rushed. All small issues that never jeopardised my personal viewing experience.
Like many, I’ve struggled with the MCU post-Endgame, but Wakanda Forever could be the spark that reignites my love for this sprawling universe.
This doesn’t feel like the homogenous crap Marvel has been all-to guilty of serving up in recent years. Coogler’s direction has real flair and personality, and the story successfully hits on multiple levels. At the risk of sounding like a snob, I’ve not engaged with an MCU effort like this since The Winter Soldier, another film that just felt elevated above other franchise entries.
Wakanda Forever is an excellent sequel, an involving cinematic epic crafted with a real love for its audience, and for its would-be king. Chadwick would be proud.
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